Anna Gülcher
Planetary scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology
About
I am a computational Earth and planetary scientist interested in the physical requirements for a habitable planet. My research focuses on – but is not restricted to – the interior and tectonic processes that shape rocky planets such as Venus and Earth. I am involved in several space missions dedicated to unravel the mysteries of our neighbouring planet Venus. This includes my roles as a scientific collaborator with NASA’s VERITAS mission and ESA/NASA’s EnVision mission.
I am further passionate about project and team management, science communication, teaching, and diversity. I have a track record of organisational skills and professional outreach experience. I previously served several roles in the Geodynamics Division of the European Geosciences Union and am currently on NASA’s Venus Exploration Analysis Group Steering Committee. I am committed to foster a more open, diverse, and inclusive community for scientists.
Contact info
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4900 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, US
1200 E. California Blvd., South Mudd Building, Rm 266, Pasadena, CA 91125, US
Find out more
More details on my research interests, past, current, or future projects, and collaborations
Outreach articles/activities, science communication, and professional service roles
Academic / research experience
Planetary Interiors and Geophysics, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, US
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, US
Principal Investigator on research project dedicated to unravelling the mysteries behind Venus’ tectonics and volcanism, awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD dissertation: Shaping Earth’s interior evolution through chemical and rheological heterogeneity in the lower mantle
Institute of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
MSc thesis: Plume-lithosphere interactions on Venus and the origin of coronae: inferences from 3D thermo-mechanical modelling
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
BSc thesis: Obtaining a high resolution geomagnetic field intensity curve for the Azores region, the IZZI-Thellier approach
Highlights
Key accomplishments
- Wrote seven first-authored papers and contributed to several book chapters, scientific software, and science outreach
- Proposed widespread, recent mantle plume activity on Venus by integrating geodyamic modelling results with planetary mission data
- Developed key scenarios for the long-term evolution of Earth’s mantle, with major implications for our planet’s tectonic history
- Presented the first global-scale mantle convection models including a new strain-dependent rheology in the lower mantle
- Accommodating scientific discussions in the form of conference/workshop organisation and session convening
- Actively striving enhance equity, diversity, and integrity in the scientific community and STEM
Awards and grants
$140.000 Fellowship grant
Postdoc.Mobility grant awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2022 to be the Principal Investigator on a two-year long research project (2023-2025) at the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA).
$2000 Grant by ETH Zürich for women-in-STEM peer-mentoring group
Grant awarded for the Planetary Equity group within ETH’s career-building program for women in science (2021-2022). Theme: ‘Self-development as a pathway to an equal scientific career’.
European Geoscience Union award
Award from the Geodynamics Division for an outstanding performance as a young scientist during the EGU General Assembly 2019 in Vienna, Austria.
2018 Award Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Awarded for the best MSc thesis research of the whole Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in the graduation year 2018.
$36.000 Scholarship by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Full scholarship for two-year MSc degree in Geophysics at ETH Zürich, Switzerland (2016-2018), based on previous academic excellency.
$10.000 Research grant by Foundation “Stichting Molengraaff Fonds” (TU Delft)
Research fund awarded for my BSc thesis research project and related paleomagnetic field work on the Azores, Portugal.
